The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-19
soNoRA'S OLD MINES.
Il Mcintyre and the Romance Of
Their Exceeding Richness.

Their Exceeding Richness.
From the Chicago Tribune.
spt. Allen Mcintyre, who runs the Lake
rsrior Company's steamer Peerless be-
Ian Chicago and Duluth, has just returned
q a winters sojoufn in Sonora, old
3~ico where he has been for health and
,srre Capt Mcintyre is one of those
t,t;oned in the dispatches few days ago
having made an important mining
Every in the Sierra Madre Mountains
discovery, as alleged, being no less than
sries of mines worked by early Mexicans,
from which millions upon millions
p snnposed to have been taken to enrich
former Incas and the later Emperors
Princes. While there. is, perhaps, more
Romance than reality in the story of the
mines or the prospective wealth of the
fcaooans who are said to be interested in
fnd, Capt. McIntyre's story of his
bentures in Sonora is certainly interest
He comes back as brown as berry
A with a skin as tough as Mexican's He
kompanied the camp of surveyors under
nmand of ex-Lieut. Flipper, u. S. A, the
nous colored West Pointer who gained
81 notoriety few years ago. A Chicago
Il company, which has large Mexican
Int in Sonora, employed Flipper and three
-four others to survey the eastern bound
| of their grant, and the jolly Captain
hit along in a spirit of adventure, and
8 to rough it awhile in Sonora for the
befit of his health. He comes back
ffectly restored and wildly enthusiastic
er the climate and resources of that
rtion of old Mexico. The Captain has
Rversed the greater portion of the districts
nd 10
bleback. and describes the region as land
rally flowing with milk and honey.
SttIe feed upon a thousand hills, and bees
avn in the canons and rocky Businesses.
AS to the reported mineral discoveries,
{pt. Mcintyre does not pretend to be an
fhority in such matters. He brought
me several specimens of the ore from
Iyoia groups, portion of the so-called lost
Ines, but to the eye of experience in such
Ntters the ore does not threaten bonanza
Ie ore is free milling, but the highest assay
,imed for it is $50 ton, and this is carried
a vein not much over three or four
et wide. 1t is said, however, that much
eher ore is being worked in a feeble way
the Mexicans in other parts of the Tayoja
|pup. What interested me most" said
lot, MCINTYRE" was the dreadfully rough
aintry we had to traverse to get to this
ira incognita The region lies about 100
lies in an air line southeast of Torres, a
ation on the Guaymas branch of the
tchison and Topeka road. The country is
delightful one until you strike the foot
BIS Of the Sierra Madre range and then it
ZONES grandly wild Our party clambered
i miles and miles where even the mules
bid hardly get footing"
t'Were the stories of Flipper's finding
he records in an old ruined mission cor
ctp
t'Not exactly Fipper did make the &C
taintance, however, of an American there
ho had married the niece of a famous old
ldre, who lived century or more ago, and
Iis American had large library, contais-
. some works over 200 years old. Ripper
Rough some of these old books and manu-
riptS. 1t is by that means he got an ink
be- of where to look for the abandoned
hing regions OF Guyanoca and Tayoja.
Upper and Kruse went after one and M. j.
bwer, a miner In Mexico, and myself went
Il the other. The story published of ruins
villages, araStias, and other remains of
abandoned industry are correct. 1t was
lightly interesting to me to 60 through
ese old workings. believe within a radius
Ia mile | could have counted over 100
|enings to these lodges. So far as we could
Itermine, there are three lodges converg-
& toward centre. have no doubt that
hther development by modern mining
ethods will show that these lodges come
gether, though, of course, that is only
hjecture One can see that these mines
I've been worked in a most primitive meth
| Even now they are not wholly
bandoned. We found one aged Mexican
18th burro who was getting out ore from
place where he had tapped one of the
hges. He told us that his burTo could
TRY $50 pounds of ore. This he took some
n miles down the stream, where another
exican had an arastra, and there the ore
as worked. Each cargo, as he called the
lrTo's load, Melted him about $50, but hav-
g got that much there was no more min
6 until the money was exhausted. These
1t it viii take heavy capital to operate
those in the Tayoja group.
hey are silver mines-much more costly to
ork. The Guyanoca mines are gold, and
they are as reprcsented-I did not see
are undoubtedly a bonanza"
What other evidence did you find that
lese mines were worked by the ancientsp
20, none, but the ruined adobe houses, the
rocked arastras, and the tunnels that had
yes ago caved. There were three or four
lcient dumps through which trees were
owing, and saw one broken arastra that
I'd an oak tree, nine or ten inches in diam
er, running right up through the bottom
is years and years since that arastra was
orked. Butt continued the Captain, II
as more struck with the agricultural and
possibilities of Sonora than
iything else. rode over thousands and
of acres of as fine grazing and
yricultural lands as the sun ever shone
BON. Men without capital could amass
rtunes here in no time raising cattle for
e American market. Sonora is vertically
cattlelnan's paradise There is a lovely
mate, abundant water, native grasses by
e league, plenty of shade from thousands
oaks in the huge pastures: no snow, no
ld, bllzzards, and consequently no loss Of
ock. Mexican herders-and no more
lthful set of workers can be found any
nere--can be hired for SOC. a day and
ard themselves. Native cattle are dirt
cap. Cross them with American bulls
d the result is some fine Stock
Captain, if Sonora is such a paradise,
ny is it that it has lain so long dormantN
oh, want of population and want of a
lrket. No Mexican ever thinks of pro-
cing more of anything than he wants
lnselt or than he can barter with neigh
Y, There is really no market for anything
'iiroads are remedying this, and emigra-
m VIII do the rest when the tide sets in.
any one is fond of a pastoral life, and
res little for society and the comforts OF a
5hsi civilization, he can go to Sonora, set
domain, and live like baron. Another
ing that has retarded the growth of Sonora
) peen the eyer-dPeaded raids of the
oache Indians. That is all over now.
nora is just as safe to live in or travel in
any portion of the United States